This year, instead of holding our fall General Meeting at Sabin School, we decided to organize a family-friendly community potluck at Clay and Endre's home. Many newcomers joined long-time residents on November 11 to share a delicious meal and get to know each other. Some of the memorable dishes included Josh's roast chicken over Brussels sprouts and Clay's African-style lentil stew. The potluck was such a success that we're thinking about making it an annual event, possibly hosted at a different home each year. If you missed it this year, we hope you can make it next year!

Wondering about the police cars parked in front of your neighbors house? This site shows the most recent 100 incidents on a map with date, time, type of call and address.

Want to know how many burglaries and car thefts were committed in Sabin in the last few months? Check out the Crime Stats site.

To see crimes within a half mile of your home, visit the Crime Mapper and enter your address. Click on the link and you'll see the stats broken down in 7 different ways.

Another option is crimereports.com, which is a private company, not associated with City of Portland or the Portland Police Bureau.

A year ago, the old church at NE 8th and Failing was nearly sold to a developer who planned to demolish it and replace it with upscale houses. The deal fell through for financial reasons. Neighbors breathed a sigh of relief. A year later, the outlook for the historic building seems brighter. The new buyer, Hope Presbyterian Church, plans to preserve the building and use it for services, after the sale closes in late December.

from the Oregonian

"The Oregon Department of Agriculture has placed restrictions on two types of pesticides implicated in mass bee die-offs in Wilsonville and Hillsboro this summer. Pesticides containing dinotefuran and imidacloprid can no longer be applied to linden trees, basswood and other trees of the Tilia genus."

Not everyone is happy about the new restrictions. Scott Dahlman, a lobbyist for the pesticide industry, said that pesticides "pose no harm to the environment" as long as they are properly applied.

What can you do to help save bees? Plant bee-friendly flowers and avoid using pesticides. Also, buy organic food. Read more here.

from BikePortland.org...

"We're happy to report that PBOT has taken delivery of a new sweeper that is specifically designed to fit inside narrow bike paths. Their new RAVO 5-Series sweeper has only been in service since last month, but it's already gotten a lot of action. PBOT spokeswoman Diane Dulken said it can sweep the new bikeways on NE Cully Blvd, SW Broadway, and NE Multnomah thanks to its narrow profile and agile handling."

The Soul of Portland illuminates the holiday season with a tree lighting community gathering!
 
When: Saturday, November 30, 2013 from 5:00-6:30 
Where: The MLK Gateway and Heritage Marker Park - Corner of NE Grand and NE Hancock

The N/NE Business Association (NNEBA) in collaboration with the NE Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN) is pleased to announce this event as part of their annual Illuminating the Soul Holiday Campaign. Coined the “Soul of Portland” over 15 years ago, the Soul District will unite the community around this joyful event, while celebrating the MLK Gateway and Heritage Marker entrance into inner N/NE Portland.

Festivities include the tree lighting, music, complimentary cocoa and hot cider, plus an opportunity to win a $50 Target gift card by donating canned goods and other non-perishable food items.

On Saturday afternoons and evenings, I sold the Journal’s Sunday edition from a prime location – in front of the Oregon Liquor Store, between Fremont and Beech on NE Union Avenue, which is now Martin Luther
King Jr. Blvd. The foot traffic was heavy, not only because of the liquor store, but also because Bihn’s Lincoln Park Market was next door. That was where many Volga Germans purchased Bihn's famous smoked German sausage links – a Saturday dinner ritual.

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Oregon Journal printed a special edition due to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I stood on the southwest corner of Fremont Street and Williams Avenue because there was a
stop sign there. When a car stopped, I held out the paper and shouted, “Extra, extra, read all about it!” The paper sold for three cents a copy and many a customer gave me a nickel, and told me to keep the change.

Story condensed from a longer version by Mel Cook and published on the volgagermans.net website, courtesy of Steve Schreiber.

The Portland Development Commission (PDC) voted last Wednesday to authorize the sale of a 2-acre lot at
the corner of NE Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and Alberta Street for $502,160 or $2.4 million less than its appraised value of $2.9 million. Once the deal closes, Majestic Realty Corp. will build a 20,000-square-foot Trader Joe's at the site.

A group of concerned citizens gathered on Sunday to protest the decision which they believe "will further exacerbate gentrification in the neighborhoods of North and Northeast Portland."

Protestors questioned the need for a taxpayer-subsidized grocery store when there is a Safeway a half mile north of the site and a New Seasons one mile south. The money could be better spent, they felt, to help attract grocery stores to east Portland, where residents have far fewer shopping options. They also noted that meetings with the developer were held in secret, without any public input.

The citizens group expressed disappointment that PDC "failed to see the property as an opportunity to bring together neighbors and community members affected by gentrification" and urged the agency to operate with "more accountability, more transparency, and stronger focus on equity."

Prior to Wednesday's vote, the Oregonian's editorial staff argued that the deal was not in the public's best interest because it doesn't provide significant economic or social value, and they urged the PDC to vote against it.

In September, the King Neighborhood wrote a letter to the PDC, requesting that the public agency "seek new ways to engage the public in decisions about the direction of planning and developing neighborhoods" and offered to "partner with the PDC in constructing and maintaining robust, participatory democracy" in the interest of "developing innovative and creative changes to our neighborhood, through dialogue that is truly inclusive."

From Marla Spivak's TED talk about why bees are disappearing:

"When bees have access to good nutrition... they are better able to engage their own natural defenses. Each of our individual actions can contribute to a grand solution... so let the small act of planting flowers and keeping them free of pesticides be the driver of large-scale change."

To participate in the Sabin Bee Friendly Garden Project, contact Diane Benson at [email protected].

Portland Playhouse has signed a long-term lease that will allow them to remain in the church building at NE 6th and Prescott for many years. Going forward, Portland Playhouse will be the only tenant of the church, which doubles the square footage available to them for rehearsals, play-readings, offices, storage, scenic construction, receptions and meetings. 

An LLC, comprised of anonymous supporters, recently purchased the building to secure the space for Portland Playhouse.